MYC oncogene involved in a t(8;22) chromosome translocation is not altered in its putative regulatory regions

Abstract

We have cloned the translocation-associated MYC gene from the Burkitt lymphoma cell line (BL2) with a t(8;22) chromosomal translocation and have determined the nucleotide sequence of the first exon and of the 3' and 5' flanking regions, where sequences with putative regulatory functions have been identified. The nucleotide sequence of the 5' flanking region, which contains regions of DNase hypersensitivity and binding sites for putative regulatory proteins, is the same as that of the normal MYC. Accordingly, mutations in these regulatory regions are not required for the transcriptional deregulation of MYC in the BL2 cell line. The nucleotide sequence of the first exon is similar to that of the normal MYC and has the coding capacity for a 188-residue polypeptide. However, six nucleotide changes that occur in the middle of this reading frame could result in amino acid substitutions. We also have cloned and sequenced the t(8;22) chromosomal breakpoint that is located 10 kilobases 3' of the MYC exon 3 and near the C(λ3) gene on chromosome 22. Sequences with homology to immunoglobulin joining signals occur close to the breakpoint both on chromosome 8 and 22, providing further evidence that the immunoglobulin joining enzymes may be involved in the recombinations associated with a variety of chromosomal translocations in B and T cells.